Detroit Titans lacrosse prepares for first ever NCAA appearance in just its fifth season

View full sizeThe University of Detroit Mercy Titans men's lacrosse team has made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in just its fifth season.UDM Athletics

When the University of Detroit Mercy Titans men's lacrosse team takes the field against Notre Dame on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, it marks a the first time that UDM has ever set foot into the national tournament in its brief five-season history that began in 2009.

On top of that, it is simply a milestone for this season alone as the Titans opened its regular season with a 0-6 record.

"The resilience of this team and how they came back from everything - we were 0-6 at one point and we never gave up," coach Matt Holtz said.

Fighting back to make it into the four team playoffs of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the underdog roll continued to prove effective for UDM. Beating top seed Marist in come-from-behind fashion in the semifinal match and then doing the same against Sienna in the championship game, the Titans' biggest challenge lies ahead with Notre Dame, the No. 2 team in the nation.

Despite having scrimmaged against Notre Dame twice this year and falling each time (15-7, 10-5), the Titans are not going to be intimidated by anyone.

"We're happy with the way we are playing right now," Holtz said. "I think our offense has kind of come into its own. Midfield is playing extremely well ... I think that the fear factor or the intimidation - it's just really not there."

Whether UDM makes a Cinderella run through the tournament or gets sent home right away is just a smaller part of a bigger picture. Going from 0-11 in 2009 to now having a presence in the NCAA tournament will only help the program move forward at a rapid pace.

Holtz, who has been with the team since it began, only sees positives coming from this experience.

"When I first came here, we set up a seven-year plan to make it to the (NCAA) championships," Holtz said. "We're a little bit ahead of schedule. I think the senior class here, we were fortunate enough to have many quality kids. They're kind of the reason why we are here. "

"It's just been a big boom for us," Holtz said. "We've got a lot of kids contacting us. It's now up to us to back and review some of those kids and find the right fits. It's just kind of saying something, though."